Misao's Storm
by Lotus14
Summary: Misao falls into a deep depression and dissapears and Aoshi sets out to find her. But who will end up saving whom?
1. Chapter 1

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Misao stared out the window at the obstinate sky. Six days of rain and still the unforgiving clouds would not disperse. A small sigh escaped her lips as the glimmer left her eyes. The storm only served to reflect how she felt inside. Perhaps Mother Nature was trying to comfort her by not mocking her with perfect sunny days. Days in which she would be expected to be cheer full and energetic. She knew with a cold certainty that both of those emotions were far beyond her reach at the moment.

Lightning flashed through the sky, soon followed by the loud echoing roll of thunder. Misao squeezed her eyes shut and tried desperately to quell the feeling that had been steadily growing in her stomach and chest for the last six days. It was a tight feeling; one born of hopelessness and sadness, rejection and uncertainty. She wanted to run - run far and fast, going anywhere just to run away. But she couldn't. Her body simply would not move. Every time she decided to get up and run out of her room, down the hall and stairs, through the door and into the rain... Her body just wouldn't move. She was frozen here, in this room by this window. Wrapped up in a blanket staring at the rain that was slowly drowning Kyoto. Her tears, striving to emulate the rain, dripped slowly from her chin. The sound of shuffling feet in the hallway brought no reaction from the morose girl. No one had entered her room for days. She knew they were worried about her, how could they not be? Misao was known everywhere she went for always smiling, laughing and being so energetic she gave squirrels something to strive for. How could they possibly know how to handle this small girl when she suddenly began displaying emotions so radically far from her normal behavior? The residents of the Aoiya had kept their distance, giving her the space they thought she needed. She was grateful. The only thing that could be worse than crying alone in her room would be to cry in front of a crowd of people. And she couldn't stop her tears any more than she could stop the rain.

She just didn't understand why this was happening. Weren't good things supposed to happen to good people? She had always tried to be a good person, helping others and looking out for herself only when she had a moment. She was kind and cheerful, generous and she really did strive to be patient (although this sometimes failed). So why? Why was she left alone and deprived of the only things that she had ever wanted? Jiya had died. It was unexpected and fast. He got sick, was in bed for five days, and then he was gone. There was nothing Megumi Takani could do to save him and Misao knew she had tried everything. She still remembered the look on Megumi's face when she had spoken those words: "I'm so sorry Misao, I couldn't save him." Word had been sent to Aoshi of Okina's death but he had sent no reply. Wondering if the letter had reached its destination, Misao had asked Kenshin if he had seen Aoshi when she wrote to tell the residents of the Kamiya Dojo the sad news. Kenshin had responded immediately with condolences and that yes, he had seen Aoshi and he had received his letter. That was when Misao knew. Aoshi just didn't care. He didn't care about Okina and he didn't care that she was here, left alone with only Omasu to talk to. Omasu was busy with the restaurant and her own family, careful to talk to Misao whenever she had the time but that was not often by any means. The others were friendly enough but they didn't know her, not like Jiya and Aoshi did. And so she was alone. Jiya was gone, Aoshi was gone, and Hannya and all of the others had been killed years before and could not comfort her now. Even Megumi had left to go back to Sanosuke and her clinic in Tokyo. That couldn't be helped; she was expecting a baby after all. Sano would be worried if she stayed longer than a few days, even though she was only three months along. The thought of Sano fretting over his pregnant Megumi brought the ghost of a smile to Misao's lips, but it soon died as the tightness in her chest reached its breaking point and tears spilled out anew. Why couldn't that be her? She wanted to be pregnant, to have a doting husband who worried about her and cared for her. Was that too much to ask? To want a family and a life all her own? She wanted all of it and she wanted it to be with Aoshi.

Aoshi: the only man she had ever loved and the one man who could bring her so much uncertainty and pain. She wondered if he knew that he was tearing her apart, that her heart was dying. He knew of her feelings for him but did nothing to reciprocate, not even to acknowledge them. It didn't matter if he knew, Misao thought bitterly. It wouldn't make any difference because Aoshi was devoid of emotion. He was as cold and unyielding as ice. Why would he care that she was in agony?

It had been five years since all of the commotion surrounding Kenshin and all of his friends had died down. Kenshin and Kaoru had married and they now had a three year old baby boy and were expecting a new baby in less than a month. Sanosuke had returned from his travels two years ago and he promptly asked Megumi to be his wife. Much to the surprise of everyone Megumi had agreed and they were now expecting their first child. Even Yakiko, that stubborn brat of a student that Kaoru had taken in, had found love with Tsubame, a girl from the Akabeko. Everyone had love who wanted it - except Misao. Aoshi it seemed did not want love or even affection. For five years Misao had done everything she could to reach Aoshi, to find the emotion he kept locked inside. And at the end of the first year she had thought that she was succeeding. She had seen a softness in his eyes and a lingering gaze that followed her when she stepped out of the room. She had been so happy and her hope had flared. But it was just false hope. She woke one day to the news that Aoshi had left the Aoiya and had gone to travel Japan, much like Kenshin had done years before. She had taken it well, convincing herself that he would be back for her and that this wasn't anything to worry about. But after two years, he did come back and it was then that her hope died. He looked at her like she was just another person in his way, someone who talked too much and didn't matter at all. He had stayed for three months before leaving again, departing without a single word to Misao and telling Omasu that he desired to live in Tokyo for a while. She had kept up a one sided correspondence with him, writing him letters once a month to tell him how she and everyone at the Aoiya was. As the seasons passed by and no letters came from Tokyo, Misao began to lose heart. She didn't give up though, continuing to send the letters once a month like clockwork. Then, two months ago, Jiya fell ill. She had thought that surely the news of his mentors' death would elicit a response from the swordsman. The fact that he did not care enough to even send a letter back after two months had driven the point home in Misao's heart. Aoshi truly did not care about her, Jiya or anyone else here at the Aoiya.

Angry bitter tears spilled down her face and, suddenly, she leaped to her feet. She couldn't stay here. She had to leave this place! If she stayed here for even one more day she would suffocate beneath her grinding emotions. Half blinded by tears, Misao somehow managed to find a floor length cloak and suitable shoes for the rain. As she walked silently down the hall she heard soft laughter behind Omasu's door, followed by the tinkling laughter of Omasu's daughter Izumi. Misao reached out and touched the door softly, offering a silent farewell. A crack of thunder split the air and no one heard the door snap shut as Misao stepped out into the rain.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any mentioned characters.


	2. Chapter 2

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As a lonely and heartbroken 21 year old girl ventured out into the storm in one part of Kyoto, a tall and pensive man strode through another. His long white trench coat was drenched with rain and clung uncomfortably to his skin, but the man barely noticed. Aoshi had returned to Kyoto for the first time in almost two years and he was astounded by the feelings that this city awoke in his heart. So many memories with so many people. But the memories that stirred his heart the greatest were those with her. Misao; that beautiful little firecracker that graced this city with her presence. The year that he had spent here with her after all the chaos had died down had been undeniably one of the best years of his life. He had felt himself beginning to heal under her gentle touch, to love life again with her by his side. He had found himself smiling without knowing why, thinking about her at the most random of times and wondering what she was doing. It was when he realized that he was falling in love with her that he decided it was time that he should leave. He had made a decision immediately after learning of Misao's affections for him that he would not allow this beautiful little flower to be tainted by his blood stained past. She deserved better, someone of whom she could be proud. No one could ever be proud of Aoshi unless it was in regard to his fighting skills. But Misao didn't need a fighter; she needed a good man, someone who would be a good husband. He could never do that, be that. Leaving aside the fact that he was ten years her senior, he had damaged his heart and soul so severely in the recent past that he was not sure he could ever be a whole man again. So even though it ripped his heart to do so, he had left her in Kyoto. He had used Kenshin's idea of wandering Japan, claiming he needed to "find himself".

He could never tell her that he had already found all he needed in her.

He convinced himself that she would move on, find another who would be more suitable for her. She was full of life and happiness and was very far from unattractive. He knew that many young men in the area would be interested in her and that she would be sure to find a wonderful husband. Although this was what he wanted for her, he found that he could not bear to think about it. Every time he thought about Misao with another man, a pain like nothing he had ever felt before would worm its way into Aoshi's heart. But he had to be strong. He had to sacrifice his feelings and do what was best for her, no matter what. This was what was best, wasn't it?

After wandering for two years Aoshi had had enough and longed for a more stable life. He had returned to the Aoiya thinking that he would be able to live there peacefully with all of those that he had come to think of as family. He had expected her to be married or at least in a relationship. He had _not_ expected her to be waiting there for him, ready to take up where they had left off when he departed two years ago. He knew that he could not give into his emotions, but he simply didn't have the courage to deny her to her face. He knew that he would break. It had been excruciating. To walk by her and show no emotion day after day, watch her eyes follow him and do nothing to vindicate or deny her feelings. He couldn't take it. After three months of living in this agony, he had to leave. He had gone to Tokyo where he knew many people due to his affiliation with Kenshin Himura and his friends and had found a house to settle down in. It was almost as hard as the first time he had left, only this time he was prepared for the wave of emotions that overtook him upon leaving her. Kaoru Kamiya and Tae, the woman who ran the Akabeko, had taken it upon themselves to question Aoshi about Misao and other matters. His quiet and sometimes menacing nature won out in the end, however, and both of them left him mercifully alone after a few months. And so almost two years had passed by since he had seen her face or heard her voice. And now here he was; mere moments and footfalls away from her.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Aoshi turned up the color of his trench coat and trudged through the rain towards the Aoiya. Two weeks ago he had received a letter from Omasu. She said that she was worried about Misao, that the young girl had not been acting like herself lately. She had become much more quiet since Okina passed on, only laughing when required to and spending almost all of her time in her room or alone somewhere in the city. Going over Omasu's letter again in his mind, Aoshi frowned and felt a familiar ache in his heart. He never wanted Misao to be unhappy; that was why he had left. He should have known, though, how hard Okina's passing would be on the girl. After all the man had raised her and acted like a parent to her all her life. Still, it wasn't like she was left all alone. So why was she in so much pain? Shaking his wet hair from his eyes, Aoshi looked up to see a familiar building looming ahead of him. He closed his eyes and fought to control his conflicting emotions as every step brought him nearer to the Aoiya, to the girl that haunted his dreams.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters mentioned. I do love them though!!

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	3. Chapter 3

Aoshi stepped into the Aoiya, dripping water onto the floor and shaking with cold. He had just opened his mouth to call for Omasu when a little girl came tripping down the stairs humming softly to herself. She stopped in shock, eyes going wide when she saw Aoshi. This was not the first time that he had met the young girl, but the last time she had seen him had been almost two years ago when she was only a small infant. Squeaking with fright Izumi turned and ran back up the stairs calling "Mama! Mama! There's a man downstairs!"

The tall man heaved a heavy sigh and leaned back against the doorframe. It had been a long journey from Tokyo and one not made any easier by the persistent memories that refused to leave him in peace. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the hard wood. He knew he needed to get out of these wet clothes soon but he didn't feel right walking into the Aoiya anymore, not since he had left to live in Tokyo. It was one thing to leave with the promise of coming back and yet another to leave and settle in a new house of your own in a new town. As much as he might want it to be, this was not his home anymore.

"Aoshi!" The man snapped out of his reverie when he heard Omasu's voice calling him from the stairs. "Izumi honey, stay upstairs with papa while I go talk to Aoshi." Something was wrong with her voice; she sounded...panicked?

"Aoshi, thank Gods you've come!" Omasu appeared in front of him with a face drawn in worry. "I don't know what to do! Where could she be? And in this rainstorm we will be lucky to see anything at all! I don't even know where to look anymore, she's been so secretive lately. I never thought she would just run off like this or I would have spent more time watching over her!"

Aoshi had been getting more and more worried as Omasu continued to rant and when it became clear that she was talking about Misao, his insides froze with dread. He gripped the panicked woman by her shoulders and shook her gently. "When was the last time you saw her?"

Omasu looked up, her face wan and tearstained. "This evening, she came down before dinner and got some rice and fish. She's been eating in her room lately and..." Her voice died away as she realized just how isolated the young ninja girl had become. "Oh Aoshi!" She buried her face in her hands, choking on a sob. "We have to find her."

Aoshi closed his eyes, willing his panic to subside and not take control of him completely. "Misao is a strong girl. She will take care of herself." He wasn't sure if he was convincing Omasu or himself at this point. "Did she take her Kunai?"

"Y-yes," Omasu stammered, "and it looks like she took her warmest cloak with her as well, I didn't see it in her room."

A shaky sigh of relief escaped from Aoshi's lips as he felt his panic begin to lesson. The fact that she had taken her weapons and her cloak ruled out a possibility for him that Omasu had not thought of; a kidnapper. But that left only the one other option and that was that Misao had left, run away of her own free will. Why? Why would Misao run away like that? What could have possibly been causing her so much pain?

Could it be...? No, not possible. He was not worthy of her tears, certainly not capable of making such an outgoing young girl so miserable. Was he? Was he...the cause of this? What if all that time that he thought he was doing the right thing by staying away, he had really been hurting her? Could that even be possible? Could it be possible that ... she loved...

"Aoshi?" He looked at Omasu, surprised to find that he still had a hold of her shoulders and that there was a tear running down his face. Even as he looked at her Omasu's face softened, showing compassion and fear. "Aoshi, you need to go to her. She has always needed you and now I fear it might... it might be too late."

Pain washed through his body at these words, compelling him to straighten and back away. "Do you have any idea where she would have gone?" His voice was quiet, but he couldn't keep it from shaking. He suddenly felt like he had been the biggest idiot in Japan, blind and a fool. Omasu shook her head sadly.

"I don't know Aoshi. It's possible that she headed for Tokyo, maybe going to stay with the Himura's. They are the only people that I know of who are friends of Misao's besides everyone here."

Aoshi shook his head. "No, I took the roads here from Tokyo, walking and on horseback. I would have passed her on the way." Both of them fell silent for a moment, each wracking their brain for answers as to where the petite ninja could have run to. A gasp broke the silence, Aoshi's face dawning with belated comprehension. "You said that she had been going out into the city by herself, did you not?"

"Yes," Omasu replied quietly, "but we don't know where she went. We wanted to respect her wishes and we did not follow her."

"Which direction did she take when she left?"

"Um... North I think. Why?"

Aoshi closed his eyes, trying to squeeze back vicious tears. Of course, why hadn't he seen it sooner? "I think I know where she is. I'll be back before sunrise." With that he turned abruptly and walked out into the rain.

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Disclaimer: I still don't own Rurouni Kenshin or its characters. Of all the luck...

I think I figured out my formatting problem, a wonderful copy and paste box! I will update again soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Misao looked to the skies as a soft wind blew over the hilltop. The rain had been gradually lessening over the last hour and the rolling thunderheads were beginning to move on, apparently satisfied that they had inflicted enough damage for one week. Misao was drenched, her hair plastered to her head and shivering with cold. Her cheeks, however, were dry. She had cried herself completely out of tears and now there was just - nothing. Nothing at all left in her heart, she was drained in every way. 'So is this what it feels like?' she thought dully. 'Is this what Aoshi feels every day? Hmph, no wonder.'

Leaning against the great tree that stood on the crest of the hill, Misao watched as the winds blew the last of the storm clouds away revealing a million stars and a waning moon. It had been four years since she came here with Aoshi. She had been so energetic that day, determined to get the homebody Aoshi out of the Aoiya and for once NOT go to the temple. He had finally agreed to take his lunch outside with Misao, more to quiet the girl than for the reasons she was insisting upon. They had come here, to this hill. The sun had been shining and a soft wind blowing; it was the perfect day, a day she would never forget. It was the day that Aoshi kissed her. This was the place where their lips had met for the first and the last time, that kiss forever seared into her memory and burned into her heart. Misao's downcast eyes clouded once more as she remembered for the thousandth time that day that Aoshi seemed to have forgotten.

They had been eating their lunches in peace, Misao chatting away as usual about something or another and Aoshi silently listening to her. Then, in a moment of true serendipity, they had both turned to each other at the same time, each reaching for something different. Time froze. They had simply stared into each others eyes, Misao's words dying in her mouth. And then...he had leaned forward and kissed her. She still remembered his lips; so soft and gentle, just like she had always thought they would be. She could still remember the sensation of being kissed by him, the electricity that had coursed through her body as his hand reached up and caressed her cheek, moving back until he held the back of her neck loosely in one hand. And then they had parted, he had looked at her with a strange expression on his face...and then... it all went to hell. It had been so confusing at the time. _He_ had kissed _her_, yet afterwards he wouldn't look at her. He barely spoke to her and acted like he was almost afraid to be anywhere where she was. Three days later he had left on his journey. Little did she know at the time just what that journey would mean.

A wry smile twisted her face as she felt that familiar tightness in her heart and a single tear coursed down her cheek. 'Well I guess I'm not completely done then,' she thought, wiping away the unwanted wetness with her finger. Sinking to the ground, her back against the tree, Misao wondered if she would ever be done. Was this what she would feel forever? This thought had just flashed through her numb mind, causing her to cringe internally at the prospect, when a sound reached her ears. At first she didn't believe what she heard. She couldn't, it was just too impractical. But then it repeated.

"Misao."

A softly spoken word, spoken in a voice that she had not heard in real life for almost two years. A voice, however, that she still remembered. Her shoulders began to tremble as her eyes widened in shock. Was he here? Was she going crazy? What if walking in all this rain had given her a fever and she was hallucinating, hearing things? She had almost convinced herself that this must be the truth; that there was no way Aoshi would be here now, on this hill, on this particularly horrible night when all of her emotions were tearing loose. What were the chances of that?! She had almost convinced herself when she heard his footsteps next to her and felt his presence there in the night. She closed her eyes as a renegade tear broke free and spilled down her porcelain cheek. She knew his presence, she could never forget or mistake it for anyone else. He was here. 'Oh Gods, what do I do now?'

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Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the yummy characters.

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I know this chapter was really short, but the next one will be extra long to make up for it! I actually didn't intend for this to be it's own chapter, but the chapter I was writing got really long and I needed to break it up somehow. I'm almost done with the rest of it so chapter 5 will be up in the next day or so.

I would also like to thank those of you who have reviewed, I really appreciate it! Thanks again and enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5

"Misao?" His tone had changed. It was still gentle, but now it was worried and tinged with something else, something she couldn't define at the moment. Slowly she lifted her head and met his gaze. There he was, Aoshi Shinomori in all of his greatness, framed in the moonlight and wearing the strangest of expressions upon his face. 'Damn him and his weird expressions!' Misao thought furiously. Taking in a shaky breath, the girl tried valiantly to calm herself and to stop shaking like a damn leaf.

"Aoshi," she managed to choke out after a few moments.

She had thought that his name would be so easy to say, it was after all the name of the one man who had been on her mind and in her heart for so long. But now that he was here she was finding that just looking at him was proving to be one of the hardest things she had ever done. The tremble in her voice did not go unnoticed by the tall man, she could see that immediately as he knelt down beside where she sat leaning against the tree. Unwilling to look at his face, she turned away.

"What are you doing here?"

Silence was her answer as Aoshi sat beside her, head bowed and eyes closed. What Misao didn't know was that Aoshi was trying just as hard to keep himself calm and composed. When she had looked into his eyes and spoken his name with so much pain, his heart had shattered. He had seen the truth, finally, after denying it and running from it for so many years. He was the one. The one who had caused all of her pain, all of her heartache, was him and he was only to blame.

"Misao..."

"Aoshi..."

Both spoke each others names at the same time, one choked with emotion, the other rising in anger. For a moment they paused, simply staring at each other with no idea what to say. Then Misao sighed heavily and looked away towards Kyoto.

"Did Omasu send for you? Is that why you came back?"

Choking on the words that had almost spilled from his mouth, Aoshi quietly replied "yes, she was worried about you."

Misao closed her eyes, squeezing them tight as she fought to keep her emotions in check. "How did she know where to find me?" She thought that she had been so careful, making sure that no one saw her coming to this place when she would slip out alone.

"She didn't."

The answer surprised her and she looked at Aoshi, startled. "She didn't? But then how..." Did he remember after all? Did he realize that she would be here? "You remembered then."

"Yes."

Taking a deep breath, Misao pushed away her thoughts with gut wrenching effort. No matter if he did, she thought, easing her flaring hopes back down. It really didn't matter if he remembered or not.

Silence stretched between them as the moonlight grew brighter, clouds scudding across the sky to completely unveil the celestial gem. Aoshi hung his head again. He had no idea what to say, what to do. He really had thought that he was doing the right thing, that she would move on and fall in love with another. He had not even considered that she would be so in love with him that his leaving would do this to her. How could he have known that what he felt was going through her heart too? 'I could have known,' he thought bitterly. 'If I had paid any attention at all to her and stopped being so consumed with my own guilt I would have seen it. I would have seen that she loved me... that I was hurting her.' Unable and unwilling to keep his emotions locked away any longer, Aoshi allowed tears to stream silently down his face.

"Misao... I'm sor-I'm sorry," he sputtered in a gruff voice.

The world turned upside down for the young girl. Caught completely off guard, all Misao could do was sit and stare. This was Aoshi Shinomori, leader of the Oniwabanshu ninjas and renowned swordsman. He never showed emotion, was as cold as ice when it came to his personal life as well as the battle field. This couldn't be right. Aoshi was... crying! Was she sure this wasn't all a hallucination? Maybe she really did have a fever. She ought to go back and get checked up, just in case.

But then he did something that assured her that this was no dream. In one swift move Aoshi lurched forward and enveloped Misao in his arms, holding her tight against his chest as he buried his face in her shoulder. If Misao had been shocked before, it was nothing compared to this. Aoshi had never, not even once, hugged her or held her like this. She was completely at a loss as to how to react. Arms hanging loosely at her side, Misao simply sat there and let Aoshi hug her.

"A-Aoshi, what...?"

Ever so slowly, Aoshi regained control of his body. He released her and sat back, but kept his hands on her shoulders so that he could look her in the eye. He didn't, however, finding that looking into her angelic face would only cause him to either cry or kiss her, and he needed to talk right now. He needed to say things he never thought he would say, speak words that he had denied even existed in his heart for so many years now.

"I said I was sorry," he spoke quietly, his green eyes focused on the ground. Misao couldn't help but to notice how the moonlight shone in them. "I'm sorry for causing you pain. I was blind. I..." His voice caught in his throat and he swallowed, attempting to go on. "I'm sorry that I was selfish and didn't keep my promise to protect you. And I'm sorry I left you here alone."

It was that last statement more than anything else that caused a reaction out of the stupefied Misao. "Alone," she whispered. Yes, she knew what it was to be alone. His apology and his behavior this night seemed to have cleared something in Misao's mind. She found a hidden strength, a new resolve, and she knew that she couldn't just fall, crying into his arms. She needed to know something first.

Closing her eyes, Misao reached up and gently brushed Aoshi's hands off of her shoulders. "I would like to accept your apology Aoshi," Misao replied equally as quietly, holding Aoshi's hands loosely in her own. "But I need you to tell me something." Aoshi raised his head, his green eyes meeting Misao's blue ones.

"Why did you come back? Why did you come here?"

The words stung Aoshi as he realized that in all of what he had just said, even though it caused him immense internal pain to say those words and to admit those feelings to her and to himself, he had never said what was most important. He hadn't told her... that he loved her.

"I came for you."

The words escaped his mouth without conscious thought, his heart speaking before his mind could interfere. He could feel Misao begin to tremble as he tightened his grip on her hands, but the girl held her resolve.

"Why did you leave? Did you not care for me at all?"

Aoshi closed his eyes tightly as he prepared to reply. He had wanted her to think that he didn't care so that she would forget about him. Now look what he had done. He had ripped her apart.

"I cared too much," he whispered. "I thought you would be better off without me and so I refused to let you see how much you meant to me. I left because I thought I was doing what was best for you."

Aoshi found he could not look at Misao after speaking these words. He simply stared at their clasped hands as what seemed like hours went by in silence. Then suddenly her hands were no longer there.

"You arrogant asshole."

Aoshi looked up in surprise to see Misao shaking, hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"You thought it was best for me? You thought it was best to make me fall in love with you and then leave me here alone? You thought it was best for me to pretend that I didn't exist and completely ignore _my feelings_? You thought it was best to not even bother to reply or come back when you found out the only constant in my life was DEAD? You're only excuse is that you thought it was _best for me_?!" Hot tears boiled up in her eyes and streamed down her already tearstained face as she screamed at Aoshi. She was on her feet now and her entire body shook with a mixture of rage and pain, nails digging into the palms of her hands.

"You arrogant asshole," she replied, speaking quietly again. She looked up at a dumbfounded Aoshi and the man recoiled backwards a step. Her eyes-they weren't hers.

"Go back to Tokyo."

It was only a whisper but it carried far into the night, the venom in her voice strong and lethal. Without another word Misao turned and walked back towards Kyoto as the faint pink of dawn began to show on the horizon.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of it's Characters. I just manipulate them and bend them to my will. Buahahahaha

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As promised, longer chapter. I know I'm throwing this up really fast, but I know myself. If I don't finish this story while it's fresh in my mind there is a good chance I won't finish it at all. And don't worry, I'm not leaving it like this. Chapter 6 will be coming soon!


	6. Chapter 6

He couldn't move. He couldn't even breathe. A strong wind kicked up and blew his hair into his eyes where it stuck, fastened to the tears forming inside of them. She wanted him to leave, to go back and act like this night had never happened. Aoshi closed his eyes and collected himself. There was no way he was just going to leave and go back to Tokyo. Not now, not after what had just happened. He had come too far and said too much to go back now.

Willing his heart to beat again, the tall man looked towards a Kyoto bathed in the soft golden light of morning. He had hurt her terribly and for that he knew he deserved her anger and rejection. But if her heart wasn't healed she would end up like him; cold, seemingly emotionless and alone. That could never happen to her. Not to Misao. She was too special for that. With grim determination, Aoshi put one foot in front of the other and followed the path Misao had taken towards the Aoiya.

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The wind blew Misao's hair into her face as she fled down the path from the hill. Tears stinging her eyes, her mind insisted on replaying the last thing she had said to him, over and over again.

_Go back to Tokyo..._

Well he deserved it. He deserved to be rejected, to be hurt. She shouldn't feel heartache and sorrow when she recalled the anguished look on his face when she had spoken those words. She shouldn't feel sickening guilt when she remembered how his hands had trembled in hers. She shouldn't want to turn around run back to him. But she did. She felt all of these things and the more she tried to force herself to feel the opposite, the stronger those feelings grew.

Stumbling along the streets of a newly awakened Kyoto, Misao screamed out her frustration and pain. Her cry startled a young woman emerging from her home, the woman's eyes going wide as she cowered back inside her doorway. Misao didn't care. She wasn't focusing on anything at all, letting her feet carry her home and trusting that they knew the way. It was in this state of delirium that Misao reached the Aoiya. Flinging open the door, Misao stormed up the stairs two at a time, never seeing the shocked Omasu standing by the stairs next to her husband Hatsu. She pushed open the door to her room and stumbled inside. Once in the safety of her own room, Misao collapsed into a wet heap upon the floor next to her futon.

Wrapping her arms around herself, the small and proud ninja girl released all of her tears. She wouldn't have thought that it would be possible for her to cry like this after all of the tears that she had already shed. She thought that she had cried herself dry. Once again, what she had thought was a certainty was proven wrong. And so she cried. She cried for everything that had happened, both in the distant past and the recent. She cried for what had been denied her and she cried for what she now knew she would never have. She wanted to curse Aoshi to the ends of the earth and condemn him to the depths of hell. She wanted to but she couldn't. She found that she didn't have the strength, the resolve she had found on the hilltop nothing but a memory now.

She didn't want to be strong. She didn't want to cry anymore. She didn't want to feel so dead inside, and she didn't want to be so confused. Squeezing her eyes as tightly as she could, Misao held her breath as her body shook. Her emotions were violent, each contradicting the one before. Her fingers tightened into fists around her hair. Was there no escape from this? No solution to this mess? She could feel another fit of crying threatening to overtake her and just as she had steeled herself for the blow, she felt warm hands on her shoulders. Looking up in shock, it took Misao a moment to recognize Omasu's face. The woman did not smile; she had more respect for Misao than to mock her with false happiness in this situation. Instead, Omasu gently unfastened the clasp on Misao's cloak, pulling the wet fabric away from her frozen skin. Misao did not object, thankful for the warm touch and care of another human being. She complied with the older woman as Omasu undressed her and wrapped her in a warm blanket. Reaching down, Omasu picked up a cup of steaming liquid. Taking it gently, Misao's numb mind distantly registered that the tea tasted like white plumbs as she sipped it.

"You need a hot bath," Omasu stated, leaving no room for argument or objection. "I will go heat the water for you." Gathering the wet clothing from the floor, Omasu stood and left the room, sliding the door shut gently behind her. Alone again, Misao realized that the threatening urge to cry had passed her by. With a sigh both of relief and of exhaustion, she lay down on her futon to wait for Omasu to finish heating the bath. As she lay there gazing at the ceiling, her mind wandered back to the hilltop. She remembered the tone of his voice.

_"I came for you."_

And he had cried. Aoshi Shinomori had cried; in front of, because of and for... her. A soft tear leaked from her eye as she drifted into sleep, physically and emotionally spent from the night before.

* * *

For the first time in what seemed like years to the residents of Kyoto, the sun had come out again. Already the streets were busy and humming with traffic. The air was fresh and clean, and moods were light and happy. Near the center of Kyoto a building sparkled in the sunlight next to it's neighbors, the warm smell of fresh food wafting out of the now open door.

Bright sunlight filled the rooms of the Aoiya, warming and drying it after so many days of rain. Misao stirred beneath her blankets and opened her eyes. Disoriented, she looked around. Had she fallen asleep before Omasu finished warming the bath? Sitting up slowly, she looked to the window. Her eyes fell upon the grey blanket lying on the floor in front of the window; lying exactly where it had fallen the night before when she had fled into the storm. Her breath caught in her throat as she was reminded forcibly of her encounter with Aoshi. A soft sound caught her ears and she looked over to see Omasu sliding her door open, a tray of food in her hands. This time Omasu did smile, a gentle smile that required nothing from Misao.

"I'm glad you're awake. You need to eat or I'm worried you might get sick."

Setting the tray down in front of Misao, Omasu stepped to the side and sat beside the girl. It was then that Misao noticed that she was wearing her sleeping robe. Touching the fabric lightly, a worn smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.

"Thank you Omasu."

"Of course," came the soft reply. After a moments pause, Omasu spoke again. "Don't give up Misao." Curious, the girl lifted her eyes to peer at the woman beside her. Omasu turned to face her, looking directly into her eyes.

"Don't give up. I know that you are in pain and that you feel like you have been betrayed and used." Omasu closed her eyes as a small smile played upon her face. "But you need to remember something. Love isn't always simple. Sometimes it comes quickly and completely, leaving us with no doubt in our hearts. But sometimes it takes a person much time and suffering to be able to accept love. To admit to love is to admit to a weakness. Even though it makes us stronger than ever before, we have to weaken to truly find it; sometimes that can be enough to prevent a person from finding happiness." Omasu opened her eyes and looked back at Misao. "But don't give up. Please Misao, you deserve to be happy!" Omasu's eyes were shining with tears now as she pleaded with the shocked ninja girl. "Find the strength to try one more time. Please don't turn away from your heart."

Misao's eyes dropped to the floor as tears flowed from their brilliant blue depths. She placed both hands on the floor and leaned forward in her attempt to control her sobs. Omasu reached out and placed her hands on her shoulders, lifting her up and pulling her closer.

"How could you know all of that?" Misao asked, her voice choked and strained as she buried her face into the shoulder of her oldest female friend.

Omasu's grip around her tightened as she answered. "I know because I know what happened last night." Sitting back, Omasu looked into Misao's eyes once more.

"Misao, Aoshi is downstairs. He told me everything."

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not under any circumstances own Rurouni Kenshin or any characters included in said anime/manga. But they are fun to play with. :)

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Thank you so much for all of the reviews! Since this is my first fanfic and I alreay have more reviews than a lot of the stories I've read, I suppose I must be doing something right. Yay!! So I am nearing the end of my saga. One more chapter, or possibly two. It depends, this story has a life of it's own. I never know what's gonna happen next until I write it!


	7. Chapter 7

"He's what?!" Misao tried valiantly to control her shaking as the news set in. "A-Aoshi is d-downstairs?"

"Yes, he arrived not long after you did this morning."

Twisting the fabric of her sleeping robe in her hands, Misao stood and began to nervously pace her room. He was downstairs. Why hadn't he left? She had told him to leave, had left no doubt that she wanted him gone. Why was he here? Why?! Taking in a shaky breath she turned to Omasu.

"He told you everything?" She hated the tremble in her voice but could do nothing about it.

"Yes," she replied in a relieved tone, happy that Misao wasn't angry with her. "He told me what happened...and he told me why. You should speak with him Misao."

"Should I?" she whispered, emotion flashing in her eyes. Closing them, Misao slowly lowered herself into a sitting position. When her eyes opened again, Omasu was surprised at how calm she looked. "Then tell Aoshi that I will be down momentarily and that I will speak with him."

Uncertain, Omasu rose to her feet. "Alright, I will tell him." She paused at the door to give Misao one last worried look, but the girl did not see. Misao sat on her floor, bathed in a pool of sunlight and staring at the wooden beams with a blank expression upon her face. Heaving a sigh, Omasu stepped out of the room and closed to door behind her.

'I can't fall apart now.' Misao thought, mentally berating herself for her weakness. 'I have to be strong. I have to!' With hands that no longer shook, Misao began to dress herself.

* * *

Aoshi was a mess. The impact of all that she had said to him only hours before was beginning to set in. He could still hear the rage in her voice as he remembered her reaction to his admission. There was no tremor or indecision, only anger and pain. He could still see her finger nails digging into the palms of her hands, squeezing so tightly he was sure she had drawn blood. But the memory that stopped his heart and chilled his blood was that of her eyes. They were so cold, shining in the moonlight without an ounce of warmth or emotion. He had never imagined she could have eyes like that, eyes so terrifyingly similar to that of a manslayer. Aoshi shuddered at the memory. It would have been simpler to do what she asked, to turn around and go back to Tokyo. It would have been simpler to flee from his emotions like he had so many times before, simply pretending that they didn't matter and not allowing anyone else to witness them. But now, after running for so long, he found that the prospect of running again was more than he could take. He couldn't run anymore. This was his breaking point and he knew it.

Aoshi held his head in his hands, staring down at the floor as teardrops fell upon the wooden boards. 'What have I done? Does she hate me now? Oh Gods, have I destroyed her?' A sound from upstairs broke into his thoughts and brought his attention back to the present. His watery green eyes gazed at the staircase that would soon reveal Misao. So she would talk to him. He was grateful and terrified all at once; his emotions rolled up into a complicated ball that caused his heart to throb and, in turn, viciously threaten to tear him apart. Nervously, Aoshi stood and began to pace once again.

He had allowed Omasu and Hatsu to feed him and had borrowed a few items of Hatsu's clothing while his dried in the sun. He didn't want to be taken care of, he didn't deserve it, but they would not hear of it. Omasu had insisted mercilessly that he eat something and so he had given in. However, he found that everything turned to ash in his mouth and so he had appeased her by eating only a few bites of rice.

It was all he could do to keep himself from tearing up the stairs to where he knew she was. She was so close... He had so much to say, so much to still admit, so much to apologize for! Respectfully, however, he had waited for her. She had waited for five years it seemed. He could wait for a few hours.

"Aoshi"

The tall man's head jerked towards the staircase as her voice lifted him from his reverie. His breath caught fast in his throat, Aoshi's pacing stopped in mid stride as he looked at her. Misao stood at the base of the staircase framed in the brilliant light of the sun. Unusually dressed in a pale green kimono, Misao was a rare and beautiful sight. The sunlight streaking through the window glinted upon her braided hair and glowed in the wayward strands that fell about her face.

"Misao..." Her name was all he could manage, his lungs and heart refusing to work properly at the moment.

Slowly, Misao took her first step and began to walk towards Aoshi. He was relieved to see that her eyes no longer looked like they had upon the hilltop, although they were far from the happy and sparkling eyes that he remembered.

"You wished to speak with me?" Her voice was soft, almost a whisper as she stared at the floor between them.

"Yes," he replied, taken aback by her change of demeanor. He hadn't expected her to be so calm after the emotion she had displayed on the hill. They stood there in an awkward silence for several minutes; Misao waiting to see what Aoshi would do, and Aoshi wondering what in the world he should say. Now that the long anticipated moment was here, he was utterly lost. He was no good with emotions, he never had been. It was easier to pretend he didn't have them than to try to figure out how to express them. But he couldn't do that now. Not with her, not anymore. He needed her. He knew that now. He supposed he had known it all along, but had been too stubborn and self-righteous to admit it.

As these thoughts were racing through his mind, Misao began to grow tired of this troublesome silence. A small glow had come back to her eyes when she realized that he had chased after her. A hesitant flame of love and hope had been lit insider her heart, a flicker that was dangerously close to being doused once again. She had almost turned away when he reached out and took her hands in his.

"It seems I have another apology to make."

Misao almost cried with relief when he spoke. Looking up, she met his eyes directly. "I guess so."

"Misao, I am sorry." His voice was low and soft, his eyes boring deeply into her own. Misao felt herself begin to flush as the protective walls she had built around herself shattered and began to crumble under his piercing gaze. Closing her eyes to shield herself, Misao looked away and tried to steady her voice as she responded.

"You hurt me." It was a simple statement spoken in a soft voice full of pain. "I didn't understand then, but I think I do now. Aoshi, I..."

"Misao, I love you."

Misao stopped short, breath hitching and eyes going wide as she heard Aoshi say those words that she had so desperately longed to hear for five years now. The shields that she had hastily been rebuilding were blown to bits. Biting her lip, she looked up into his face once again. This time she was not so surprised to see tears in his eyes. She only had a moment to look before she was swept up into his embrace, held tightly to his body.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "please forgive me." Eyes held tightly closed, Aoshi waited for her response. What if she rejected him, pushed him away and stormed out of the room? Could he live without her? He thought about a world without Misao, of living his life without ever seeing her again. The thought made him pull her closer still. After moments that seemed like an eternity, the answer came.

"I love you too."

The words came easily to the small girl. She was finally putting into words what she had felt for what seemed like her whole life. "I love you Aoshi." A long sigh departed from the tall man as he held her close, a genuine smile taking the place of the worried and fearful expression he had been wearing. A genuine smile: something that had not been seen on his face in four years. He felt wetness on his chest and looked down to where her head was resting, nestled him. Slowly, Misao pulled away and looked up at him. A small smile graced her face as he recognized the sparkle in her eyes. Those were the eyes he remembered.

"I love you, but you have to win me back Shinomori."

Grinning down at his beloved, Aoshi took her hands once again.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any characters mentioned.

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Sorry if I made Aoshi unnecessarily whimpy in those last few chapters. I was trying to portray a situation in which the tables turned and Aoshi was the one left with a broken heart. As many of you guessed! Don't forget to read the epilogue!!

Thank you so much everyone for your reviews! Especially ItachiMisao. You almost made me cry!!


	8. Epilogue

Misao placed a hand on her belly as she looked out over the garden. Smiling, she watched her husband play with their two year old daughter Shiori. They had named her this because she was exactly what her name implied; a marker of their love, of their new life together. Sighing contentedly, Misao turned to go back inside. Because of her small frame, pregnancies were particularly difficult for her. Since she was seven months along already, she knew she could expect frequent and unexpected visits from Megumi Sagara.

She giggled as she remembered Megumi's last visit. Her son was now three years old and was every bit Sanosuke's child. Unruly and wild, he had driven Megumi to the point of madness while Misao and Aoshi had both watched in silent mirth. They had been safe until Aoshi mentioned, pointing at her swollen stomach, that she was soon to have even more on her plate. He had received the sharp end of a fan thrown at his head for that one.

Still smirking over this memory, Misao walked into their bedroom and noticed a box lying in the corner of the room. Not recognizing it, picked it up and carried it to the bed. She opened it carefully and found several sheaves of parchment inside. Handling them with care, she lifted out the first. As she read what was written, a tear fell and splattered against the aging parchment, leaving a stain that would be sure to remain.

He had kept all of her letters.

Jiendo

(the end)

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Disclaimer: I still don't own Rurouni Kenshin or it's characters. Not for a lack of wishing...

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Wow, I can't believe I'm actually finished. This story went on a lot longer than I expected. I hope you enjoyed my story, and I'm sure I'll be writing something else again soon! On to a story that hopefully doesn't involve so much crying!!


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